Late Antique Environment and Economy in the North of the Iberian Peninsula: The Site of La Tabacalera (Asturias, Spain)

The exceptional preservation of organic remains in a well-reservoir at the site of La Tabacalera (Asturias, Spain) is the subject of an interdisciplinary study regarding past human-environmental interaction. The feature, dated to Late Antiquity, corresponds to a large well containing a wide range of organic material (animal bones, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), mites, seeds, wood and wooden artefacts, etc.). This article examines both plant micro (pollen and NPPs) and macro-remains (seeds and wood) dated between the late 5th–8th c. AD. The palynological evidence suggests that the structure investigated was colonised by different species dominated by ivy, while the surrounding anthropised area was characterised by the presence of open areas, probably occupied by meadows and pastures. A mixed deciduous forest was also present not far from the site. The abundant plant macro-remains include the presence of water-loving woody species, which inform us about the vegetation growing around the well-reservoir. The seed record comprises cultivated plants, and a wide range of wild species typical of humid environments. Among the remains there are also some wooden artefacts. Plant remains have provided significant information, not only to reconstruct the landscape around the site, but also on the formation of the feature’s backfill. Moreover, the remains offer us information regarding objects of daily life and the maintenance of the feature
We are grateful to the institutional and financial support of the Gijón City Council and of several academic institutions and projects, particularly the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Spanish National Council for the Scientific research (CSIC). Th e main projects are: Formation and transformation of the civitas in the Iberian Northwest (CIVITAS) (HAR2008 06018 C03/HIST); Research Program on Technologies for the conservation and valorization of Cultural Heritage (TCP) (CSD 2077 0058); Landscapes of d omination, landscapes of resistance. The appropriation and control mechanisms of society and territory in NW Hispania (PADORE) (HAR 2012 33774); Tabacalera II Project (Collaboration agreement CSIC Ayuntamiento de Gijón)Gijón). LPCH work has been carried out with in the project (HAR2015 64953 P).